Mos Christianorum: The Roman Discourse of Exemplarity and the Jewish and Christian Language of Leadership
James Petitfils ’03, M.A. ’07, Assistant Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity Mohr Siebeck, November 2016
The preferred moral curriculum of a Roman education abounded with exemplary stories of Rome's native heroes. To inculcate conceptions of virtuous leadership, politicians and populace alike deployed exempla as rhetorical vehicles of the mos maiorum (way of the ancestors). James Petitfils explores Jewish and Christian participation in this widespread pedagogical practice. After surveying Roman discourse on exemplary leadership, Petitfils consults several texts, written in significantly Romanized environments, celebrating Jewish or Christian ancestral leaders. He highlights their respective appropriation, adaptation and redeployment of the Roman moral idiom on exemplary leadership in the promotion of self-consciously non-Roman ancestral exempla and languages of leadership.
Sustainable Church: Growing Ministry Around the Sheep, Not Just the Shepherds
Walt Russell Professor of Bible Exposition Quoir, June 2016
Sustainable Church is a thorough, Bible-based exposition of how the ministry of every church should be organically built around all of the Spirit-gifted followers of Jesus within that local body. It critiques the shallow pragmatism and unsustainability of non-organic churches and biblically showcases the sustainability of the organic church. "Body discipleship" is a key part of the church's sustainability, and Russell explains biblically how it corrects the model of discipleship that has been popular for the last two to three generations. Additionally, this book showcases the servant-model of biblical leaders who are supposed to equip the saints to do the work of ministry on behalf of Jesus, the true pastor/shepherd of every local church!
Tapestry of Grace: Untangling the Cultural Complexities in Asian American Life and Ministry
Benjamin C. Shin
M.Div. ’93, Th.M. ’96, Associate Professor of Bible Exposition
Sheryl Takagi Silzer
M.A. ’93, M.A. '98
Eisenbrauns, January 2016
Cultural and generational differences have led to many misunderstandings and conflicts within the Asian American church, which have created bitterness and church splits. How can these tangled threads be rewoven into a beautiful tapestry of God’s grace? What would it take for the Asian American church to reflect God's grace? In Tapestry of Grace: Untangling the Cultural Complexities in Asian American Life and Ministry, Ben Shin and Sheryl Silzer apply their years of study and teaching, taking lessons from their own spiritual journeys, and show how each generation can experience the amazing grace of the gospel.
Our Deepest Desires: How the Christian Story Fulfills Human Aspirations
Gregory E. Ganssle
Professor of Philosophy
IVP Academic, August 2017
As human beings, we are created with desires. We all long for meaningful relationships, lives that reflect goodness, engagements with beauty, and the freedom to pursue our lives with integrity. But where can our restless hearts find fulfillment for these universal longings? Philosopher and apologist Greg Ganssle argues that our widely shared human aspirations are best understood and explained in light of the Christian story. With grace and insight, Ganssle explains how the good news of Jesus Christ makes sense of — and fulfills — our deepest desires. It is only in the particular claims of the Christian faith, he argues, that our universal human aspirations can find fulfillment and our restless hearts will be at peace.
Sheryl Takagi Silzer is a third generation Japanese American multicultural consultant with SIL International and Wycliffe Bible Translators. She served for many years in Colombia, South America and in the Asia Pacific area. She currently facilitates Cultural Self Discovery workshops for multicultural mission teams, mission agencies, schools and churches around the world. The workshops are based on her book “Biblical Multicultural Teams: Applying Biblical Truth to Cultural Differences” (2011). She teaches as an adjunct in Talbot’s Asian ministry classes. Her most recent research focus is delving into how Asian cultural practices are influenced by Asian philosophies and religions (such as Confucianism, Buddhism and Daoism), especially in relation to the honor/shame dynamic. She and her husband Peter have two married sons and five grandchildren.
James Petitfils completed his doctorate from UCLA in 2013, writing a dissertation exploring ancient Roman, Jewish and Christian discourse on exemplary leadership. His research interests include storytelling and moral formation in the Roman Mediterranean, early Christian martyrdom and leadership in the New Testament and early Christianity. He has previously taught at UCLA, Talbot and Biola University in the areas of world history as well as New Testament history, literature and leadership. Along with his research and teaching, he has been a pastor in Redondo Beach for over 15 years. Petitfils is happily married and has two young kids. He enjoys surfing, family beach days and burritos.
Benjamin C. Shin has served in the ministry as a pastor, parachurch leader and professor for more than 20 years. He is a graduate of UCLA, Talbot School of Theology and Dallas Theological Seminary. He enjoys reading, music, sports (especially the UCLA Bruins) and spending time with people. His vision and passion includes mentoring leaders, rebuilding churches and teaching the Word of God. He is married to his bride, Jen, and has two wonderful boys named Adam and Zachary. He currently serves as Associate Professor of Bible Exposition and Director of the Asian-American Ministry track for the Doctor of Ministry at Talbot School of Theology in La Mirada, Calif.
Walt Russell's areas of expertise are exegesis, hermeneutics and New Testament theology, especially as they relate to world evangelism and the spiritual growth of the church. He has an extensive background in collegiate ministries, university teaching and the pastorate, having planted two churches. He authored The Flesh/Spirit Conflict in Galatians and Playing with Fire: How the Bible Ignites Change in Your Soul. Russell has contributed articles to Bibliotheca Sacra, Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, Grace Theological Journal, Westminster Theological Journal, Trinity Journal and Christianity Today. His life themes are the primacy of the Great Commission in the life of the church, the renewal of the church through the development of dynamic community and the strengthening of the church through vibrant teaching of the Scriptures.
Greg Ganssle has been thinking about the intersection of Christian faith and contemporary scholarship for over thirty years. In addition to publishing nearly three dozen articles, chapters and reviews, Greg has edited two books, God and Time: Four Views (IVP, 2001) and God and Time: Essays on the Divine Nature (Oxford, 2002 – with David M. Woodruff). Greg is also the author of Our Deepest Desires: How the Christian Story Fulfills Human Aspirations (IVP, 2017), Thinking about God: First Steps in Philosophy (IVP, 2004) and A Reasonable God: Engaging the New Face of Atheism (Baylor University Press, 2009). Greg was part-time lecturer in the philosophy department at Yale for nine years and a senior fellow at the Rivendell Institute at Yale. Greg's research interests lie in contemporary philosophy of religion and history of philosophy. Greg has been married to Jeanie since 1985 and they have three children.
Biola University
